TENNIS; Davenport and Henin-Hardenne in Final

By JOHN ELIGON

Published: August 26, 2006

The smile on Lindsay Davenport's face during a postmatch news conference Friday evening sparkled like the diamond earrings she wore. There was more to her happiness than the fact that she had just defeated Samantha Stosur, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7), to advance to the finals of the Pilot Pen tournament for the sixth time.

Davenport, seeded seventh, has been pleased with how she has held up here after injuries led to months of inactivity. Her sentiment would seem to echo that of several of the top women's players here: winning can be valuable, but a chance to test their fitness the week before the United States Open may be just as important.

''I'm happy with everything this week so far,'' said Davenport, who will play the second-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final Saturday. ''I would have been happy losing today. To get through the first few matches, get them under my belt, was the biggest key I wanted to accomplish this week.''

This is only Davenport's second tournament since late March, when she was sidelined by bulging disks in her back and a concussion she sustained in June.

This was the first tournament for Am?e Mauresmo, the top-ranked player in the world, since she won Wimbledon in early July. She had been battling a shoulder injury and lost to Davenport in the quarterfinals Thursday night.

Because of knee injuries, Henin-Hardenne, ranked No. 3, was also playing for the first time since the Wimbledon final. Henin-Hardenne beat the seventh-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in the other semifinal Friday, 6-3, 6-3.

The Pilot Pen was Kuznetsova's second tournament since Wimbledon. She withdrew from events in San Diego and Los Angeles because of a strained left abdominal muscle.

''We were always proud to be a U.S. Open tuneup,'' said Anne Worcester, director of the Pilot Pen. ''I never thought that was a dirty word.''

The Pilot Pen started in 1998, with both men's and women's draws. It was a women's-only event from 1999 until last year, when the men's draw was added again.

The tournament has become more prominent among the women than the men. Seven of the top 10 women's players, including three of the top five, were entered. Attracting the top men to this tournament is difficult, Worcester said, because they may want to save energy for the five-set matches of the United States Open. The men also have one more round here than the women because they have a 64-player field; the women have a field of 32.

The women's semifinal matches were played on the stadium court, but because of a rain delay, the men's semifinal between Xavier Malisse and Agustin Calleri was relegated to the grandstand. There, they had to deal with the noise of a fashion show on an adjacent court. Calleri, who won the first set by 6-2, advanced after Malisse retired with a sore right elbow at the start of the second set.

There may be little question about the importance of the women's draw.

''We've been very fortunate that there are certain top-10 players like a Mauresmo, like a Davenport, who feel very comfortable playing the week before the U.S. Open,'' Worcester said. ''We've sort of built up a real loyalty.''

The fact that players may look to the Pilot Pen as a final tuneup after injury-riddled seasons could be a good thing, Worcester said, because that usually attracts a world-class wild-card entry. Henin-Hardenne was one of this year's wild cards.

In addition to serving as a test ground for players, the tournament can also be the guinea pig for rules experiments. It is part of the continuing test with instant replay, which will be used at the United States Open for the first time this year.

The WTA Tour is also experimenting with on-court coaching, long a taboo in tennis. A player may ask to consult with her coach between each set, during one changeover in a set and during any injury timeouts.

The coaches must wear a microphone while they speak with their players and what they say may be televised on a tape-delay.

''We see this initiative as a test program looking to enhance the value of women's tennis for the television viewers,'' said Stacey Allaster, the president of the WTA Tour.

Photo: Justine Henin-Hardenne, seeded second, will play Lindsay Davenport, the defending champion, in the Pilot Pen final today. (Photo by Bob Child/Associated Press)